Alignment of box edges in foldingglueing machines



A. FREI Sept. 14, 1965 ALIGNMENT OF BOX EDGES IN FOLDING-GLUEING MACHINES Filed April 3, 1963 2,. Sheets-Sheet 1 Fig.4.

Fig.2.

' A. FREI Sept. 14, 1965 ALIGNMENT OF BOX EDGES IN FOLDING-GLUEING MACHINES Filed April 5, 1965 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 United States Patent 3,205,792 ALIGNMENT OF BUX EDGES IN FOLDING- GLUEING MACHINES Arthur Frei, Brise du Soir, St. Sulpice, Switzerland, assignor to J. Bobst and Son S.A., Prilly, near Lausanne, Switzerland, a corporation of Switzerland Filed Apr. 3, 1963, Ser. No. 270,263 Claims priority, application Switzerland, Apr. 11, 1962, 4,453/ 62 4 Claims. (Cl. 93-36) This invention relates to improvements in folding and gluing machines.

In known folding-gluing machines in which boxes or the like are formed cardboard blanks or pieces, the latter are conveyed between endless belts and pass in front of folding members, gluing devices and pressing parts arranged in orderly sequence determined by the operation to be carried out. Generally, the transport of the blanks is accomplished in the direction of the folds, i.e. transversally to the direction of folding of the folded portions of the blanks.

In such machines in which long and narrow blanks are folded in a transverse direction, unless the blanks are accurately folded, there will be misalignment between the folded portions.

It is an object of the invention to correct such misalignment simply and without substantial interruption in the travel of the blanks.

In accordance with the invention there is provided means for engaging the folded portion of a blank to align the same during the travel of the blank and means controlled by the passage of the next blank past a given location to free the first blank after its portions have been aligned.

The invention will next be described in terms of an embodiment thereof given by way of example in the attached drawing, wherein:

FIGURE 1 is a plan view of a blank which is to be folded and glued,

FIGURE 2 is a plan view on enlarged scale showing the blank of FIG. 1 in a folded condition,

FIGURE 3 is a perspective view diagrammatically illustrating a portion of an embodiment of the invention,

and,

FIGURES 4 and 5 are diagrammatic side views showing different stages of operation of the embodiment of the invention.

The folding and gluing to be carried out consists in folding the part 1 on the part 2 around the folding line 3, after having applied glue to the bottom of the flap 4. Thereafter, and by a second folding around the folding line 5, the glued part of the flap 4 is brought to a position in registry with zone 4 (hatched profile).

In view of the length and narrowness of the piece, the folding lines are short in relation to the length of the folded down elements. It results therefrom that the slightest deviation from the folding direction is followed by an improper position of the folded parts, as this is shown in FIG. 2 representing the folded and glued piece to an enlarged scale.

Therein, appears part 6, over which part 2 is folded down, under which part 1 is folded up, the gluing being carried out by flap 4 at zone 4'. The folding lines which do not take part in the described folding are not represented.

Intentionally, this figure shows an improper folding in the sense that the edges A of the folded down parts are not aligned with the direction of the edge B of the underlying part 6.

Such faulty foldings occur in particular in the process- "ice ing of corrugated cardboard pieces, on which it is more difficult to mark the folds correctly.

FIG. 2 shows moreover the position of pairs of belts 7 and 8 conveying the piece in the direction of the arrow 9, ie in the direction of the folds or perpendicularly to the folding direction of the folded parts.

An object of the present invention is to originate a folding-giuing machine avoiding the already mentioned disadvantage.

The latter presents to this end at a point of the trajectory covered by the folded and glued piece, a transversal stop halting momentarily each piece without it being necessary to release it from its driving, thus causing the front edge of all its parts to be applied against the said stop.

In FIG. 4 are seen the pairs of belts 7 and 8 travelling in the direction of the arrow 9, namely an upper belt 7 and a lower one 7', as well as an upper belt 8 and a corresponding lower one 3'. These belts run over leading rollers 10, 11, i2 and 13. Above the rollers 10 and 11, there would be of course similar pressing rollers, omitted here for the clarity of the drawing.

The glued and folded pieces are conveyed between the belts of the belt pairs, of which a complete piece appears at x and another one partially at y. They are illustrated as simple rectangles, but will be of course shaped in accordance with the box to be obtained, corresponding for instance to what is shown in FIG. 2.

Along the trajectory of the pieces is a transversal stop in the form of a shutter 14, retractable by revolving around a pivoting shaft 15'.

It is evident that if the shutter is maintained in the trajectory of a piece while the belts are running, the said piece (above and under) will be more or less strongly applied against the shutter which, in relation to the object of FIG. 2, will occupy the position of the edge B. In other words, the play of the belts in motion will bring the part 6, as well as the parts 1 and 2 to rest against the shutter-making the freshly glued flap 4 slide-thus achieving the desired alignment.

Then, by causing the shutter to pivot rearwardly, so as to retract it, the piece thus straightened will be inserted between pressing parts not represented.

The best Way of carrying out this retraction is to cause its disengagement by the arrival of the following piece.

Thus, in the example represented, when the piece y, passes over a contact located at '16 ahead of the shutter, this causes pivotal movement of the shutter.

The diagrammatic illustration in FIGS. 4 and 5 shows this operation. In FIG. 4 a piston is displaced by compressed air from an oscillating cylinder 17 and maintains the shutter 14 in the trajectory of the processed pieces (x is shown at rest against the shutter in FIG. 4), while one or some springs 18 act to pull the cylinder and the shutter 14 therewith backward.

When the next following piece, in this case y, reaches the contact 16, it initiates the rapid opening of a relief valve of the cylinder 17. The spring 18 retracts the shutter 14 (FIG. 5) and the piece x resumes its travel. Thereafter, piece y leaves the contact 16 and, the restored air pressure in the cylinder 17 brings the shutter 14 back to its working position. The piece y will thereafter contact the shutter 14 and be released when z in turn passes over the contact 16 and so on.

The shutter of the represented example has been assumed planar, but it could of course be provided with the profile of the front edge of any piece to be processed.

What I claim is:

I. In a machine in which successive blank-s are adapted for 'being folded and glued, an improvement comprising conveying means for advancing a succession of blanks along a path in spaced relation wherein such blanks have been folded and have folded portions with leading edges which are to be in aligned relation, stop means for engaging the leading edges of the folded portions of successive blank-s to momentarily arrest each blank at said edges to align such edges, and means supporting the stop means for displacement between first and second positions in which said stop means is respectively disposed in the path of the blanks and retracted therefrom, the latter means comprising sensing means disposed in the path of the blanks at a spaced location upstream of the stop means for sensing the presence of a blank thereat for displacing the stop means to said retracted position thereof, whereby each blank will be arrested by the stop means until the next successive blank is sensed by the sensing means.

2. In a machine as claimed in claim 1 wherein said stop means comprises a pivotally supported shutter movable between said first and second positions, said means supporting the stop means comprising a pivotally supported cylinder, a piston displaceable in said cylinder between extended and retracted positions, means connecting the piston to the shutter such that the latter is in the first position thereof with the piston extended and in the second position with the piston retracted, and elastic means connected to said piston for acting thereon to urge the cylinder to a position in which the shutter is retracted 3. In a machine as claimed in claim 2 wherein said cylinder is adapted for being supplied with air under pressure to displace the piston, said sensing means comprising a contact activated 'by the blanks and controlling air supply to the cylinder.

4. In a machine in which successive blanks are adapted for being folded and glued, an improved method comprising advancing a succession of blank-s along a path in spaced relation wherein such blanks have been folded and have folded portions With leading edges which are to be aligned, engaging the leading edges of the folded portions of successive blanks at a particular location in said path to momentarily arrest the blanks one by one and align such edges thereof, and releasing each blank when the next successive blank is positioned at a specific spaced position from said particular location.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,728,274 12/55 Nitchie et al 93-36 3,094,045 6/63 Horn 93-36 FRANK E. BAILEY, Primary Examiner.

from the path of the blanks when the piston is retracted. 25 BERNARD STICKNEY, Examiner. 

1. IN A MACHINE IN WHICH SUCCESSIVE BLANKS ARE ADAPTED FOR BEING FOLDED AND GLUED, AN IMPROVEMENNT COMPRISING CONVEYING MEANS FOR ADVANCING A SUCCESSION OF BLANKS ALONG A PATH IN SPACED RELATION WHEREIN SUCH BLANKS HAVE BEEN FOLDED AND HAVE FOLDED PORTIONS WITH LEADING EDGES WHICH ARE TO BE IN ALIGNED RELATION, STOP MEANS FOR ENGAGING THE LEADING EDGES OF THE FOLDED PORTIONS OF SUCCESSIVE BLANKS TO MOMENTARIALY ARREST EACH BLANK AT SAID EDGES TO ALIGN SUCH EDGES, AND MEANS SUPPORRTING THE STOP MEANS FOR DISPLACEMENT BETWEEN IRST AND SECOND POSITIONS IN WHICH SAID STOP MEANS IS RESPECTIVELY DISPOSED IN THE PATH OF THE BLANKS AND RETRACTED THEREFROM, THE LATTER MEANS COMPRISING SENSING MEANS DISPOSOED IN THE PATH OF THE BLANKS AT A SPACED LOCATION UPSTREAM OF THE STOP MEANS FOR SENSING THE PRESENCE OF A BLANK THEREAT FOR DISPLACING THE STOP MEANS TO SAID RETRACTED POSITIONN THEREOF, WHEREBY EACH BLANK WILL BE ARRESTED BY THE STOP MEANS UNTIL THE NEXT SUCCESSIVE BLANK IS SENSED BY THE SENSING MEANS. 